Snoring is a common affliction. It results from the muscles holding the mandible (lower jaw) relaxing during sleep such that the mandible moves posteriorly into the throat. This causes the throat to constrict increasing the speed and pressure of inhaled air which vibrates soft tissue in the back of the mouth. For some, who suffer from sleep apnea, the airway becomes completely blocked thereby interrupting breathing during sleep.
Snoring and sleep apnea can be avoided by preventing the mandible from moving posteriorly during sleep. A number of devices have been designed with this purpose in mind. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,633 to Fenton shows two bite forms which may be joined so that the user""s mandible projects forwardly of its normal position in order to reduce snoring.
This invention seeks to provide an improved anti-snoring device and a method of manufacturing same.
An anti-snoring device has maxillary and mandibular bite forms with outwardly extending pivots which are mounted to the bite forms by frameworks which are at least partially embedded in the bite forms. This retains the pivots securely in place even in the face of extensive bruxing.
In constructing the device, a jig may be used for positioning the pivots.
The method of manufacturing the device involves casting the frameworks, such that each framework has a pair of pivot mounts, mounting pivots to the pivot mounts, and at east partially embedding the frameworks in the bite forms.
Accordingly, the present invention comprises an anti-snoring device, comprising: a maxillary bite form; a mandibular bite form; a first outwardly extending maxillary pivot posteriorly located on a first side of said maxillary bite form; a second outwardly extending maxillary pivot posteriorly located on a second side of said maxillary bite form; a first outwardly extending mandibular pivot anteriorly located on a first side of said mandibular bite form; a second outwardly extending mandibular pivot anteriorly located on a second side of said mandibular bite form; a first telescoping arm loosely pivoted to said first maxillary pivot and to said first mandibular pivot; a second telescoping arm loosely pivoted to said second maxillary pivot and to said second mandibular pivot; maxillary framework at least partially embedded in said maxillary bite form having a pivot mount for said first maxillary pivot and a pivot mount for said second maxillary pivot; mandibular framework at least partially embedded in said mandibular bite form having a pivot mount for said first mandibular pivot and a pivot mount for said second mandibular pivot.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a jig for positioning of pivots of an anti-snoring device, comprising: a medial portion having an inward face; a first end portion having a pivot receptor canted toward said inward face of said medial portion; a second end portion opposite said first having a plurality of aligned pivot receptors along its length, said pivot receptors canted downwardly.
According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an anti-snoring device, comprising: casting a maxillary framework and a mandibular framework, such that each framework has a pair of pivot mounts; mounting pivots to said pivot mounts; embedding said maxillary framework at least partially in a maxillary bite form such that pivots extend outwardly from opposite sides of said maxillary bite form, embedding said mandibular framework at least partially in a mandibular bite form such that pivots extend outwardly from opposite sides of said mandibular bite form.
Other aspects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description.